The Lord and the Lady
by Writes With Fire In Her Heart
Summary: A series of short stories based on Fire Lord Zuko's, Fire Lady Katara's and their children's new life at the palace. Now that peace had been established, the royal family must figure out how to stabalize their nation and keep their family together.
1. Chapter 1

_The Lord and the Lady_

_By: Lunar Eclipse_

Before I say anything, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a black-haired, black-eyed, light skinned 14-year-old female. I dress like a goth, but I'm not a dark kind of person, okay? My birthstone is amethyst, I am a Sagittarius, a Rooster, my element is fire and my planet is Mercury. My favorite animal is the panther, my favorite color is purple (really hate yellow and green), I love Japanese culture and anime, and my favorite number is 13 (don't laugh, it's just misunderstood, and someone has to stand up for it!).

This is a series of drabbles about Zuko's and Katara's reign as Fire Lord and Lady. Remember, the stories are not in chorological order. Just warning you…I've decided to keep the disclaimers in these drabbles completely un-imaginative so that I have more creativity to use up on the drabbles. If you find that I fail to do this, simply mention it in you reviews, which you WILL send…Have fun!

_Medley of the Nations_

This is where Katara's reign as Fire Lady starts; at the proposal. By the way, the part concerning the coloring of the stone by firebending is true; if you heat a stone in a furnace, it will change its color. Same thing happens if you cool it to extreme temperatures. I just thought that if firebenders could induce heat, couldn't it take it away as well? If you forget to review, I will seriously blow my already-short fuse, then chase you down the palace corridors and display the amazing fire-bending abilities I wish I had…

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. There, no spirit at all. Happy?

"Katara, will you marry me?" These words echoed through my head as I tried to wrestle with the confusion that was occurring in my mind. My heart had already made its mind up; I loved him. I knew that Zuko loved me back, with all his heart, but I had no idea that he was planning to do _this_. He has been Fire Lord for a few months now, and managed to calm down the chaos that had risen in the Fire Nation's government. Now, he was asking me to spend the rest of my life with him, acting as his wife, his counselor, the mother of his children, and second-in-command of the most powerful country in the world.

"Yes, Zuko, of course I will." I answered him; tears streaming out of my eyes. I looked up. Zuko had a small smile on his face, than kissed me fully on the lips, lingering there a little longer than necessary. I blushed. Why was I blushing? He's kissed me plenty of times before. But none of his other displays of affection had ever sealed my fate like this, of a new life full of possibilities. I was finally going to have a home, one other then my village and Appa's saddle. I was very nervous, but full of energy and excitement. We broke apart. I wiped away my tears, and looked up expectantly. He grinned mischievously, and held up a small box.

"Go ahead! Open it!" he told me playfully me. I smirked, feeling like an irresponsible eight-year-old again, not a young woman about to become the Fire Lady.

"Fine, I think I will!" I teased him. The monarchs of the Fire Nation were both grinning and giggling like idiots. I thought vaguely that if our marriage was starting out like this, maybe it wouldn't be so bad at all.

I turned by attention to the box. It was beautiful, but slightly morbid, a pure black onyx container with gold clasps and hinges that contrasted with the shadowy stone. I was full of apprehension; the necklace was supposed to be fashioned according to the kind of lifestyle that the groom was seeking. If this is what the box looked like, I wonder what it will be like inside? It was sure to be very heavily ornamented and dark; not at all my style. I opened it with trembling fingers and gasped. Inside was the traditional water-tribe betrothal necklace, but one of the like that I had never seen before. The cord that was attacked around the neck was a semi-transparent, pale gray material that floated in the air and shimmered in the sunlight with sheen resembling that of mother-of-pearl. Soft, illuminated rainbow colors danced and weaved on the stunning fabric.

But the fastening was nothing compared to the pendant. The stone was not the traditional topaz or turquoise of the water tribes, nor the ruby of the fire nation, but it was a gorgeous amethyst of an intense hue. The stone seemed to be transparent at the back, with swirls of different shades of purple within it, ranging from blue-tinged lavender to nearly-black plum, the individual strands of color glittering. I turned it over. The front was delicately carved a landscape. It was a single water lily floating in the middle of the lake, accented by a setting sun. Strangely enough, even though the stone was one, the lily was a light pink, the lake more of a periwinkle, and the setting sun a deep purple with slight red accents to it. The necklace was a wonder, a priceless work of art.

I looked up at my fiancé, who smiled slightly at my stunned and wondrous expression.

"I carved it myself," he announced proudly "though I had to bully my artisans into submission beforehand; it's traditional in the Fire Nation to allow your personal carver to do it, just to show off your wealth and power. I thought that more than enough of my culture will be imposed on you, so I decided to do it your way. I chose purple because it is a medley of the colors of our nations."

Glancing down, I noticed that, despite the jewel's splendor and careful crafting, there were two tiny imperfections and uneven bits in the jewel that could not have been made by a professional craver; Zuko had indeed carved it himself. I had no idea ha had such talent! The fact that there were some blemishes was almost an assurance; Zuko was honest with me, and the tiny mistakes added a little bit of humanity to what would have otherwise been a too-perfect ornament. I shook my head in wonder, not knowing what to say. "It's so beautiful! There's just one thing I don't understand… how did you get the colors to separate in the stone?

Zuko gave a little knowing smile and warmly explained "I used firebending. It was something I discovered by accident, when I was trying to think of how to decorate your stone. I heated a ruby and the colors swirled around and contrasted. I learned how to control the shades, and then altered my design. Do you like it?"

I just nodded, and hugged him around his neck. "Zuko." I whispered in his ear "I'm scared of becoming a ruler. What if the people don't like me? What if I don't know how to be a good Fire Lady?"

He whispered back "Don't worry. I love you, and we'll go through this together, no matter what. We will prove that we can handle ruling the Fire People. You'll always be by my side, and I will always be at yours. The best possible thing right now is a Fire Lady that can be accepted into my country, that can show it what the world outside is like, and what a wonderful thing peace is. Besides, after acting like the tyrant of the gang, a group made up of the most stubborn and powerful benders in the world, for a whole year, I doubt that you'll have problems managing a pesky little thing like a nation!"

I laughed at this last remark, and gave him a little squeeze, then sat back.

"So," I asked him, a light dancing in his eyes "What's it like in this so-called great Fire nation?" My new home...


	2. A Prayer to the Deties

_A Prayer to the Deities_

Hello! I'm very glad to see you all, and really excited that you're actually reading this other drabble! Just letting you know, someone mentioned that Arella is the mother of some empathic girl called Raven in a show called the Teen Titans. I never heard of them before, and the name just sounded nice when I thought of it. No connection at all, capiche?

Fire Lady Katara and Fire Princess Arella inhaled the perfumes of the Water Shrine and the Fire Temple.

Katara passed through the silver doorway. The woman was clad in a plain peach tunic that reached her knees with a pair of white leggings. She was kneeling by the altar of Isuko, the Father of the Ocean and Keyla, the Goddess of the Moon. The divine couple was shown carved in marble and kneeling side by side on an altar covered in beige and white silk and covered in tumbling turquoise flowers that filled the small place of worship with a light, sweet fragrance. This place was located in a wing near the Fire Temple of the royal palace. Katara had asked it to be built so that she could worship her culture's gods and spread their influence in the Fire Nation.

Not many people came here, but a few noblewomen and servants came from time to time to admire the simple beauty of the place and absorb the Water Tribe's culture. Women were particularly drawn to the moon-based and calm religion of Katara's native people.

In the meanwhile, the Arella was unaware of her mother's presence in the nearby chamber. She was too busy admiring her own gods. Her purple eyes widened with wonder as she moved her gaze from Agni, the Lord of the Sun to Zefalli, Keeper of the Divine Flame.

Red and golden flowers and lit black candles covered the altar, and nearby, in a golden dish, heavy incense was being burned. Agni was carved standing in ivory with a bear torso, ebony shoulder-length hair and wearing a splendid golden cloak with elegant scarlet designs on it. The garment was hung over his shoulder and sweeping the floor. The Lord of the Sun also boar a long black rod with a ruby-and-gold flame erupting form the top of it.

Zefalli, in the meanwhile, was standing besides her husband in a sheer, semi-transparent garment colored a pure blood-red shade. The long dress's edge trailed behind the statue in a small train, the neckline was low, and the sleeves started out hugging her shoulders at the top, then billowing outwards to a wide end. Her hands were facing forward, and in her hands, Zefalli was cupping in her palms an elevated three-pronged flame.

Arella had never seen such an awe-inspiring, magnificent place in her life. Being a simple youngster of four years old, she had never set foot in the palace Fire Temple. Father had told her that now that she was big enough, she could come anytime she wanted, as long as she carried herself with respect and dignity, and pray to Agni, Lord of the Sun and Zefalli, Keeper of the Divine Flame. Never had she imagined that in get short life, she had missed out on so much wonder. How many more new exciting things will she discover along in life?

"Arella?" Katara's voice rang through the chamber r

Her daughter jumped "Mother! I'm sorry; I did not know that you were here!"

Katara smiled at the startled youngster" That's all right… Sweetheart, do you want to come here for a moment? I have something I want to show you something special… I asked it to be built when I first came here."

Arella nodded eagerly and skipped besides her mother, holding her hand, as she passed though a silver-lined archway. Her eyes widened once more.


	3. The Heat of the Fire Nation

_The Heat of the Fire Nation_

Greetings, how are you all? So, here I am, and here is the third drabble in the series. Not much to say, just enjoy the drabble and check out my other work, "A Change of Paths at the Crossroads of Destiny", and "The Stream, the Mountain, the Flame and the Breeze". And please review! It really boosts a writer's confidence and helps me edit my work!

Fire Lady Katara was bawling at the top of her lungs, clutching a bowl full of melted chocolate mixed with frozen cream. She didn't care that it was undignified and that she was supposed to set an example to the women of the Fire Nation. She didn't care that the servants were casting her confused, concerned, and odd looks. She didn't even care that the Fire Lord burst through the doors of the palace kitchens with a frightened look on his face. All she cared about was the red rash spreading over her shoulders and arms.

"Katara, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" the Fire Lord asked his pregnant wife.

The Fire Lady stopped weeping, sniffed, and answered meekly "I got sunburned."

Zuko barely managed to hold back his laughter "It's nothing to worry about. I know a treatment involving heating certain pressure points that will help sooth the burns."

Katara started crying again and shrieked "No, you don't understand! I NEVER have sunburns! My skin is darker than anyone else's in the whole palace, yet I'm the one that gets burned!"

The Fire Lord tried to calm his wife down "It's okay. The Fire Nation is the hottest country in the world, and we're in the middle of summer. Besides, the natives never get burned, no matter what. It's perfectly normal that you got it when no one else did. Come on; let's get you to the infirmary."

Still sniffing, Katara took her husband's arm and followed him down the hall. She was still feeling sorry for herself, but was more puzzled about why the people of the Fire Nation never got sunburned, despite their very light complexion, and how heating skin will help relieve a burn.

She voiced her questions. Her husband answered her wisely. "Agni will lash out in fear at anyone who brings the wind of change about them. Zefalli will tame her husband's irrational fury and make him see the beauty in the change."


End file.
